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Having Pets Instead of Kids: A Reactionhttps://spinningjenni.com/2017/06/27/having-pets-instead-of-kids-a-reaction/
https://spinningjenni.com/2017/06/27/having-pets-instead-of-kids-a-reaction/#commentsTue, 27 Jun 2017 19:00:10 +0000http://spinningjenni.com/?p=1718Continue reading →]]>A coworker sent me this blog post featured on The Federalist* titled Having Pets Instead of Kids Should Be Considered a Psychiatric Disorder. In it, the writer G. Shane Morris argues that millennials and their dogs are responsible for the demise of civilized society via substituting pets for babies.

At first, I thought, “This fool can’t be serious.”

One paragraph later I realized “Yeah. This fool is serious.”

I have so many issues with G. Shane Morris’s writing I could probably do a series of posts taking it apart line by line. That seems a bit excessive, so instead, I’m writing one big clap-back.

G. Shane Morris (what does the G stand for???) starts by saying that he’s “convinced that psychology manuals 200 years from now will identify “replacement-baby syndrome” as a diagnosable epidemic in my generation.” In his mind, young adults are using pets as “replacement children.” Like, legit animals replacing children.

She overheard a couple at the airport holding a FaceTime call with their “baby” and his “grandparents.”

“They are cooing and gushing and exclaiming ‘well look at YOU, big boy! So big! So handsome! Are you being so good for Nana???’” These “parents” pester their own parents with questions about baby’s feeding, pooping, and playtime, and “nearly collapse with joy” when “baby” comes back on screen for a last goodbye. “Mommy and Daddy love you,” the couple squeal. “You are the best boy! We’re coming home so soon!”

Nordeman says she turned around to sneak a look at this sweet baby who’s so beloved by his parents, only to find…a yellow Labrador retriever.

Admittedly, that would be super annoying to listen to. Airport lobbies are for headphones, Cinnabon and trying to sleep in chairs more uncomfortable than those on the plane. Take your loud conversations to Chili’s Too.

If it had been me eavesdropping and I had turned to see a baby but saw a yellow Lab instead, I would have been like “Ha! Fantastic.” But I delight in absurdity. Nicole Nordeman didn’t seem to have a problem with it either.

Morris expands on this anecdote further:

How much embarrassment must it bring those “grandparents” to participate in such a call? How badly must they want real grandchildren, instead of pet-sitting an attention-smothered dog? How much grief must they feel watching their child waste her parental instincts on an animal – while they’re forced to play along in the couple’s sick and disturbing charade?

Who the hell do you think you are, G. Shane Morris? How dare you place your judgments on these people? You assume the “grandparents” are embarrassed and want grandkids – but you have no idea what their situation is. Maybe this “sick couple” want to have children, but can’t. Perhaps they’re being responsible and waiting to have kids until they’re more financially stable and sound in their own relationship before popping out a baby. Maybe they do have a kid, and she is at Space Camp because she’s a genius and they’re on their way to pick her up. Or, maybe they simply don’t want children. This isn’t The Handmaid’s Tale, and that isn’t a crime.

He later goes on to say “Millennials, it turns out, are twice as likely as baby boomers to buy clothing for their pets.” Let’s unpack that statement to consider why this may be true. Baby Boomers are more likely than Millennials to live in retirement homes. They’re more likely to rely on fixed incomes and to have higher medical expenses. They’re also less likely to have the independence it takes to care for an animal. So while he’d like to dump this stat on Millennials being stupid, he just can’t.

Because it’s easy to crap on Millennials, he also writes this:

In September, the Washington Post reported on findings from research firm Mintel that quantify the replacement-baby epidemic. Young Americans are less likely than their parents to own a car or a home, and half as likely to be married as Americans were 50 years ago.

That is not because we’re spending all our earnings on our pets. This is because my generation is crippled with student loan debt, and for many of us the bottom fell out of the economy right when we graduated college. It’s probably also because women have more rights than they did 50 years ago and can become more than baby producing machines.

Morris does acknowledge the high price of raising children these days, but follows that statement up by suggesting all you gotta do is “buy things used” and have a “spouse willing to stay home and care for the kids.” Because ya know, nobody ever gets sick or struggles with mental illness or lives in a geographically isolated area or has trouble finding a job. And your spouse (read: wife) needs to stop being so selfish and quit her job. Don’t worry about the loss of income, she can find things real cheap on Facebook Marketplace.

He soon returns to his snarky rant on animal lovers by making the following claim:

I can tell everything I need to know about a person by whether he “got a dog,” or “adopted a dog.” … When you go get a dog, you are doing something you want to do. Portraying it as a sacrificial act of virtue is just indulgent.

Ok. “Rescuing” a pet means you got it from a shelter or non-profit agency. The adoption fee you pay covers the costs the shelter endured to care for it and the other animals in its care. “Buying” a pet means you paid a breeder or pet store (hopefully not) for the animal and they made a profit. While terms like “adopt” and “rescue” are marketing devices aimed to pull at your heart strings, their goal is to get you to consider taking in a discarded or unwanted pet before going and buying one.

I would like to argue, G. Shane Morris, that your entire piece is indulgent to your own dislike and jealousy of pet lovers.

He sums up the article reiterating that pets are the thing robbing “us from the joy of children” and that we should all collectively do better. If you think about it, it must be nice to live in a world where pet ownership is the only thing impeding people from having kids. That world must not have diseases, socio-economic disparities, abuse or war.

It’s easy to point at an issue and say that one particular thing you don’t like is the cause. People love to do that. It makes us feel smart and grants us a reprieve from the constant uncertainty that is adulthood. I went to a townhall last week where my county rep blamed high teen pregnancy rates on parents not raising their kids with the right values. You could almost hear the sigh of relief around the whole room of everyone going “Oh! That’s the problem. Now I get it!”

But things aren’t ever that simple. There’s not just one solvable reason that teenagers get pregnant and twenty-somethings don’t start families. People are complicated and so too are the explanations behind their choices, behaviors, and circumstances. Placing the blame on one possible factor is irresponsible.

And it’s ludicrous to blame pet owners for declining birth rates.

What do you think? Do you think he has a point? Is he way off base? Leave your thoughts in the comment section, I’d love to hear from you.

*The Federalist is an alt-right propaganda site. Please do not go there for any reason.

]]>https://spinningjenni.com/2017/06/27/having-pets-instead-of-kids-a-reaction/feed/4cute pupspinningjenni12617717seriously underwood10 Movies that Pass and Fail the Bechdel Testhttps://spinningjenni.com/2017/05/19/10-movies-that-pass-and-fail-the-bechdel-test/
https://spinningjenni.com/2017/05/19/10-movies-that-pass-and-fail-the-bechdel-test/#commentsFri, 19 May 2017 16:35:11 +0000http://spinningjenni.com/?p=1457Continue reading →]]>The feminist movement has gained popularity in recent years as a positive, inclusive movement for women’s rights. Which is great because it IS a positive and inclusive movement. At almost any moment now you can find something pro-feminist across many media platforms – books, twitter, the news, music, comic books – it seems like everyone is getting in on feminism. The word “feminism” has come a long way from being associated with man-hating-bra-burners.

A product of the feminist movement is the Bechdel Test.

Have you ever heard of it? I hadn’t until a few weeks ago.

What is the Bechdel Test?

The Bechdel (Beck-Dell) test is a simple 3-point checklist you can apply to any movie to score how well women are represented in it. It was developed by comic book writer Allison Bechdel back in 1985.

When I first heard of this I thought, “There can’t be very many films that fail the Bechdel Test.” The requirements are so basic. Just have two women talk about something that isn’t a guy. How rare is that?

But then I got to thinking about it. I started applying the test to some of my favorite movies (by memory) and quickly ran through about five that didn’t pass. Then I did some research of my own; watching movies and applying the Bechdel Test to them. I quickly realized it was easier to find movies that fail the test than it was to find movies that pass.

That’s when I decided to put together this list of 10 Movies that Pass and Fail the Bechdel Test. There were a lot of different angles I could use to attack this list – highest grossing, release year, genre, award winning. I ultimately decided to look at movies that most people have probably seen. There are multiple genres spanning many years. Truth be told, most of these are movies that are close to my heart or culturally relevant to me. (**Spoiler alerts, use disgretion**)

Let’s start with the failures!

5 Movies that Fail the Bechdel Test

UP

There’s only one woman in this entire movie and she’s killed off in the first 10 minutes. Not even any of the dogs are girls. That ostrich-thing Kevin doesn’t count because we don’t even find out she’s a female until the end.

Batman Begins

Yes, but barely. Katie Holmes was released from captivity to play Rachel, Bruce Wayne’s friend/first love. We also have Martha Wayne, who gets murdered right away and a secretary, however, she’s a throwaway character. Martha is an important character though so I’ll give it a pass. Otherwise, the movie is a sausage fest.

Negative. The two female characters don’t even share a screen together let alone speak to one another, and that’s over the course of a two and half hour movie!

Underworld

The main character is werewolf-hunting-vampire Selene. There is one other significant female character, Erika, who’s kind of like her handmaid I guess except they hate each other.

Yes. It’s not a lot, but the only two fleshed out females in this film do speak to each other on two separate occasions.

Not really. The two times the lady vamps talk to each other are in reference to a man or motivated by love/interest in a man. (Kraven and Michael) I’m gonna say it fails on this front.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

Sarah Connor is the badass feminist heroine in the Terminator franchise. There are two other female characters (Tarissa Dyson and foster-mom Janelle Voight) in small but necessary roles in this film, so I’ll give it a yes.

There’s a scene where Sarah Connor and Dyson’s wife are in the same room while the Terminator is giving his backstory, but the two women don’t actually talk to each other. Give this one a big ol’ “F”.

X-Men

There a lot of hardcore ladies in this one. There’s Rogue (my personal fave), Dr. Jean Grey (who brings all the boys to the yard), Storm (who will light yo’ ass up) and Mystique (Magneto’s right hand).

Near the halfway mark of the movie, Jean is briefing everyone about Wolverine’s powers and the adamantiam fused to his bones. Storm asks one question. Jean answers her but…

The question and answer are both about Wolverine! Even though female characters have some decent screen sharing time, they never talk to each other except for the brief Q&A about a man. X-Men comes close but fails the test.

5 Movies that Pass the Bechdel Test

Frozen

The main characters are sisters Ana and Elsa. (If you don’t know this by now you should check your pulse.)

The sisters both talk AND sing to each other, which is the measure of any true relationship.

A big YES to this one. They talk about building snowmen, their parents, their relationship and accepting each other. Ana and Elsa only talk about a man once, very briefly, when Ana says that she wants to marry Hans after just meeting him. Like any good big sis, Elsa quickly shuts that down and proceeds to ice everyone out.

Legally Blonde

This movie features more female characters than male characters. Most notably we have main character Elle Woods, defendant and member of Delta Nu sorority Brooke Taylor Windham, Elle’s collegiate and romantic rival Vivian Kensington, manicurist and BFF Paulette and the intimidating Professor Stromwell.

As a matter of fact, Elle speaks to all of the characters listed above multiple times.

Though her ex-boyfriend is brought up a lot, Elle talks to her supporting ladies about the court case, loyalty, pets and not letting a man direct your life. Although this is kind of a silly movie, it passes the Bechdel test with flying colors.

Fifty Shades of Grey

There’s our awkward main character Ana, her roommate Kate, her mom and her boo’s mom, “Mrs. Grey.” That’s literally how she’s listed in the lineup. There are a few other women too, though their appearance is minor.

Oh yeah, there’s multiple woman-on-woman convo in this film.

Surprisingly, even though the film centers heavily on Ana’s infatuation with Christian, she manages to discuss college and valedictorian speeches with the other women in her life.

Split

Our heroine is smart/weird girl Casey, her “friends” Marcia and Claire, Dr. Fletcher the psychiatrist (who easily could have been made a male, so props) and I’m going to count Miss Patricia, one of the bad guy’s personalities. She may be in a man’s body but she identifies as a woman, and that’s good enough for me.

Indeed they do. Casey, Marcia, and Claire talk to each other and to Miss Patricia. Dr. Fletcher doesn’t get a chance to talk to women other than her weird neighbor though.

The girls talk about escape plans and survival, Casey exchanges a couple lines with Miss Patricia that aren’t about the Beast or Dennis, and Dr. Fletcher talks to her weird neighbor about dissociative identity disorder.

Beaches

The film centers on two female main characters: larger than life, showbiz loving CC Bloom and serious, career-minded Hillary Whitney. CC’s mom Leona and Hillary’s daughter Victoria also have significant roles.

CC and Hillary start out as childhood friends and pen-pals and then become roommates, so a lot of the dialogue is between the two of them. CC also talks to her mom and she and Hillary both talk to Victoria.

Victoria and CC talk about their parents, their dreams, their struggles and job opportunities. Just like real life women! Of course, they talk about the men in their lives too, but that’s minimal compared to everything else they discuss. CC discusses her personality with her mother and how lame she looks on tv with Victoria. Hillary and Victoria talk about CC, vacations and the cat.

Importance of the Bechdel Test

So what does the Bechdel Test mean? Am I not supposed to like movies that fail? Am I not a feminist if my favorite movie doesn’t pass the test?

The Bechdel test is just a really good tool to raise awareness about how women are presented in the film, and how we’re portrayed to the world. It’s something to think about. Maybe go a step further and think about how it would be if things were flipped and men were the underrepresented and were largely ever shown talking to each other about a woman. How would that change your perception?

As Americans we spend a lot of time watching movies, they’re a big part of our lives. If you’re reading this, chances are your parents had a TV when you were a kid, and you’ve probably said something like “I grew up watching that,” or “I watched that all the time when I was a kid.” Movies become a part of our lives, of our history, even our identity. So it goes to reason that the movies we watch can shape our points of view and how we look at the world.

So, if you “grow up” watching a lot of movies you might begin to think “huh, men are really heroic. They take risks, they don’t break under pressure, they fight for what’s right.” And you might also be akin to think “huh, women love fighting over the guy. They’ll really go above and beyond for a man’s attention. Even the really strong ones can’t do it without a man.”

Those are fairly innocuous assumptions and they both have a ring of truth to them. But women and men are way more complicated and varied than that. Which is why it’s important to show equal representation of both sexes in our movies; because our movies shape our expectations.

You can still like movies that fail the Bechdel Test. It doesn’t make you a misogynist if your favorite movie doesn’t pass. The test exists to raise awareness and maybe eventually affect change.

If you’d like to learn more about the Bechdel Test check out these great links:

So what do you think about the Bechdel Test? Share in the comments below!

Thanks for reading! =)

]]>https://spinningjenni.com/2017/05/19/10-movies-that-pass-and-fail-the-bechdel-test/feed/2vintage movie audience 2spinningjenniUP movieTerminator 2 movieFrozen Moviefifty shades of grey movieSplit movieBeaches movieThe Year of the Roosterhttps://spinningjenni.com/2017/05/10/the-year-of-the-rooster/
https://spinningjenni.com/2017/05/10/the-year-of-the-rooster/#commentsWed, 10 May 2017 16:40:16 +0000http://spinningjenni.com/?p=1376Continue reading →]]>2017 is the year of the Rooster according to the Chinese Zodiac – or, more specifically the female fire chicken.

I like reading about the Zodiac and checking in on my horoscope from time to time just for fun. It’s entertaining both when the horoscope is eerily accurate and when it’s dead wrong. For example, I was born in the year of the Rabbit (1987). People who are Rabbits are supposed to be gentle, compassionate and like to avoid getting into arguments. That’s me for sure. On the flip side, Rabbits are also meant to be homebodies who aren’t quick to anger. That couldn’t be further from who I am. I have to get away from the house at least once every day or I go stir crazy. And if you want to know how quick I am to anger, just make me drop something or tell me the vending machine is out of Coke Zero – hoo boy.

I decided to look up the year of the Rooster (or lady fire chicken) to see how a Rabbit like me was destined to fair in 2017. I think the general world population agrees that 2016 was crappy, so I was hoping I would see something positive and inspiring; something to get me out of my funk.

Or, I might be offered a new position, but I shouldn’t take it. It’ll be too much pressure, and I’ll fail which brings me back to unemployment.

I can expect to be vilified at work.

I’m exceptionally vulnerable to a lawsuit.

The Flaming Chicken Goddess brings fertility – naturally – so it is a good year to have a baby. However, I better not get pregnant until after May, or else the baby and I will clash for life. Hashtag frenemies. I imagine a Damian situation.

I’ll likely to fall victim to some kind of physical accident this year, resulting in a bone injury. I should be super careful when driving or playing sports or going outside in general. And I should expect some increased mental health issues thanks to my career problems!

So…anyone know the name of a good lawyer?

If you want to see how you’ll fair in 2017, click here to find your own horoscope. Share your results in the comments!

Thanks for reading

]]>https://spinningjenni.com/2017/05/10/the-year-of-the-rooster/feed/3year-of-the-rooster-20161229-02spinningjennicnyroosteryearofrabbitgiphy-downsized10 Best Podcasts to Stream Right Nowhttps://spinningjenni.com/2016/11/16/10-best-podcasts-to-stream-right-now/
https://spinningjenni.com/2016/11/16/10-best-podcasts-to-stream-right-now/#commentsWed, 16 Nov 2016 17:17:50 +0000http://spinningjenni.com/?p=1232Continue reading →]]>I have gotten really into podcasts over the last year, which is ironic because I used to DETEST talk radio. Why would you use a radio for anything other than playing music?? Somewhere my 15-year-old self is wearing studded bracelets and judging me real hard.

Maybe being into podcasts and such is an age related thing; seeing as most of my friends also prefer listening to talk over music when working or going on really long road trips. Perhaps it’s a sign that we’re all getting older…like when all my girlfriends got crock-pots for their 25th birthday and were excited about it. Or maybe we’ve realized the internet is for more than funny cat videos.

Like many people, Serial was my first real foray into podcasts. Since then I’ve been hooked and constantly looking for something just as engaging and entertaining as Serial, season one. It’s taken a lot of searching and trying things out, but I now have a varied list of 10 really good podcasts to listen to right now. These are my favorite podcasts. I subscribe to them, I eagerly await each new episode and I die a little when they go on break. Check ’em out!

ComedyThrowing Shade

Throwing Shade is my favorite comedy podcast around. Hosted by comedians Erin Gibson and Brian Safi, each episode covers current political and cultural events with a lot of crass, outrageous and sometimes silly humor. Their tagline pretty much sums it up: “we take a look at issues concerning ladies, and gays, and treat them with much less respect than they deserve.” Each episode is roughly an hour long and I snicker uncontrollably at my workstation for the entirety. Love these two!

True CrimeReal Crime Profile

Real Crime Profile is hosted by legit special agents who have had a hand in just about every high-profile case you’ve ever heard of. Former FBI profiler Jim Clemente, criminal behavior analyst of New Scotland Yard Laura Richards and casting director of Criminal Minds Lisa Zambetti dive into the murder cases dominating the news and take them apart piece by piece to analyze what really happened. The series starts with a breakdown of ‘Making a Murderer’ and doesn’t slow down from there. I leave each episode feeling both entertained and educated. This airs once a week and most episodes are around an hour long.

Accused

Accused focuses on the cold case murder of Elizabeth Andes, and examines how the police investigation left more questions than answers. This 8 episode series started during the summer and wrapped up in late September this year, but as it investigates a cold case from the 70s you won’t have to worry about spoilers or feel like you’re way behind on something. Each episode is a little over 45 minutes and is a great podcast for people who like a definite beginning and end.

In the Dark

Ok, if you like true crime but also believe police work in this country needs a gross overhaul, then In the Dark is DEFINITELY for you. This podcast takes a look at the 1989 abduction of Jacob Wetterling from a tiny, rural town that left police clueless for nearly 30 years. Amazingly, one week before In the Dark was set to air, the person responsible for the boy’s disappearance was caught. This 9 chapter podcast came out in late august and wrapped up in October, so it’s another good one if you like to finish things.

Criminal

Criminal podcast shares stories of anything and everything relating to crime. It’s not always a murder mystery, and it’s not always a crime that you’d expect. It’s hosted by Phoebe Judge, who has a voice like silky, creamy lotion for your ears. Most episodes are stand alone, so you can definitely jump in where you like; however, I recommend listening from the beginning as they’re all so interesting. Episodes come out every 2 weeks and are about 30 minutes long so it’s totally doable.

Audio-Drama
Tanis

Tanis plays out like a real Serial-esque kind of narrative with interviews and investigative reporting, but it has strong characters and great sound FX that make it feel like you’re listening to a movie. Host Nick Silver stars as himself in this drama as he searches for the truth behind a centuries-old legend called Tanis. I can’t say much more without giving spoilers, but if you like science fiction and horror, then this podcast is for you.

The Black Tapes

The Black Tapes is an eerie series in the same vein as Tanis; in fact, it’s produced by the same team. This docudrama is narrated by journalist Alex Reagan and follows her down the rabbit hole of paranormal investigation and bizarre cults. It’s like ‘The Davinci Code’ crossed with ‘Supernatural’. It’s totally spooky and I totally thought it was all real for the first 5 episodes. Listen to it, and imagine my relief.

Topical Non-FictionLore

If you’ve been following my blog for very long, then it’s no surprise to you that Lore is one of my favorite podcasts. In each half-hour episode host, and writer Aaron Mahnke takes a look at the history behind legends and ghost stories. From vampires to checking Halloween candy for razor blades, Lore covers it all. Perfect for other story geeks like me!

Story Shop

StoryShop is a great “how-to” podcasts for writers who want to improve their productivity (ahem, actually write something) and try to make a career doing it (ahem, pay your bills). It’s a 9 episode mini-pod hosted by authors Sean Platt, Johnny B Truant and David Write. The hosts are good friends and writing partners, so it’s like listening to a conversation rather than a lecture and they give good advice you can actually put to use. Best of all, each episode left me excited to go write!

Code Switch

Just saying the letters “NPR” makes me feel instantly more adult. But not like a regular adult, like a cool adult. Code Switch an NPR podcast about race in America. Sounds heavy, but it’s equally humorous as it is challenging. I’m a white girl from a middle-class upbringing which means I don’t know jack about race or the experience of being a person of color. I listen to Code Switch to learn and to get a broader view of the world. Episodes tend to be in the half-hour range, cover all sorts of topics and don’t go in any particular order. I recommend it to anyone on the path to “woke-ness” and anyone who doesn’t know what “woke” means.

I’m a fan of most other melons; watermelons, honeydew, etc.never have, but cantaloupe I cannot do. It’s a little ironic because it might be my dad’s favorite fruit. He can eat the whole thing in one sitting if you’re not careful. I just never have liked it.

I don’t like cantaloupe because to me it tastes like bloody gums.

It’s embarrassing even to write it down! I know it sounds crazy. I know it sounds disgusting. But when I bite into a peice of cantaloupe I’m reminded of the same taste I get when I get a tiny sharp chip lodged between my tooth and my gum. When you pull it out, your mouth bleeds a little because it was just shanked, and that tastes like cantaloupe!

Every once in a while I try another peice of cantaloupe just to see if my taste buds have changed, because I really want to like it. But every time I’m disappointed. And a little grossed out.